It is clear that this year has not been a normal year. This March will be the one year anniversary of school getting shut down due to Covid-19. Over the summer, schools worked very hard to try to come up with a plan to make things go smoothly for the students as well as the teachers. Colleges have opened back up to virtual and in person learning, and there have been many ups and downs of this new experiment.
Back in early September, students of NYU had to quarantine for two weeks if they were living on campus. When they got to the school, they had their meals brought to them. Good idea, right? It would’ve been good if it were executed well. On the famous social media app TikTok, students of NYU were posting their unfortunate meals that they were receiving. Whether it was a “watermelon salad” that consisted of watermelon and some lettuce, a bag of chips, some students were even forgotten in terms of getting a meal. So, it’s safe to say that the beginning of the first semester for some schools did not run too smoothly.
Bernards Alumni Victor Esteche, graduated Bernards High School last year. He started attending Middlebury College as a freshman this year. “First semester went pretty smoothly,” he said. “I got to the school and we had to quarantine for two weeks, no issues with the meals, and all of the classes felt safe, and even though there is a pandemic, I have been able to meet new people and make new friends.” Victor said he had a “good mixture of virtual and in person classes.”
Another Bernards Alumni, Geneva Issacson is now a sophomore at WPI. She no longer lives on campus, but in an apartment off campus. “My classes are both virtual and in person, and I don’t mind it, but I do enjoy being in person better.” Issacson did not come home since she has an apartment but even though she didn’t leave Massachusetts between first and second semester, she still quarantine in her apartment before attending her in person classes.
In between first semester and second semester, there was a longer break for students over the winter. Some schools went back at the end of January, while some returned early February. Some classes will still be online, however, due to the spring/summer weather, colleges are hoping to have classes outside. In Florida, Flagler College and Rollins College have been hosting many classes outside, socially distanced. More northern states are seen trying to do that as the sun comes up and the snow starts to melt.
